The Great Pacific Plastic Garbage Patch
Until recently, many people had never heard about or seen pictures of a massive floating patch of discarded plastic waste larger than Texas floating in middle of the Pacific Ocean. Victims include sea birds, fish, sea turtles, ocean mammals, and ultimately humans, creators of the “Throw-away Society.” Kate Bradshaw, writing for Maui Time, estimates the massive floating plastic patch is twice the size of Texas: The Great Garbage Swirl http://www.mauitime.com/Articles-i-2009-01-29-68584.113117_The_great_garbage_swirl.html Please invest seven minutes to watch this riveting presentation concerning this deadly problem by Captain Charles Moore, who is credited with having discovered this symptom of a planet gone mad: Captain Charles Moore’s Presentation http://www.ted.com/talks/capt_charles_moore_on_the_seas_of_plastic.html The article below, by Jacob Silverman, provides additional information, and links to numerous sources illustrating how humans have turned the world’s largest ocean into the world’s largest “landfill”. Pacific Ocean = World’s largest “Landfill” http://science.howstuffworks.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch.htm Finally, this Wikipedia link provides detailed diagrams of how the [...]
Categories: Conservation, featured Tags: pacific plastic garbage patch, plastic trash
Whale Watching!
The pacific coast of Costa Rica is very often thought of as a place for Pelagics. This is very true and we are currently in the middle of one of out 2 whales seasons. Whilst we see dolphins throughout the year whales tend to visit specifically during 2 time periods. The first season is from December through to April, and the second season is August through to October. There are 70 species of dolphins and whales in the world and it is estimated that approximately 25 visit the waters of Costa Rica. This is for a variety of reasons, whether they are migrating, mating, birthing or feeding, the warm waters with currents bringing plentiful food are an obvious attraction. Some of the more frequent visitors are false orcas, spinner dolphins, pan tropical spotted dolphins and the humpback whale. One of the most prolific and recognizable of the whales species is [...]
Flamingo Tongue Flood
There have been localized Flamingo tongue "blooms" in spots all over the Caribbean - Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Mona Island, Puerto Rico to name a few. Are they making a comeback, or is this a sign of trouble?
Categories: Conservation, Marine Biology, Scuba Diving in the Caribbean Tags: awareness, biology, changes on the reef, Conservation
Sea Turtles In Crisis
PUT SEA TURTLE FLYING OVER SANTA ROSA WALL HERE All sea turtle species (green, hawksbill, Kemp’s ridley, leatherback, loggerghead, and olive ridley) are officially classified as either “threatened” or “endangered.” They are in trouble for many reasons. One is natural predators: Turtles are menu favorites for tiger sharks, and hatchlings are devoured by sea-birds as they scamper across the beach seeking safety in the waves. But their most significant threat is from earth’s number one apex predator: humans. Coastal development destroys nesting and foraging habitats. Shore lighting confuses turtles’ navigation ability, since they rely on moonlight and starlight. Commercial fishing gear (gillnets, baited long-lines, trawl nets, etc.), kill thousands of turtles every year as wasted “bycatch.” Finally, tens of thousands are taken directly by humans annually for eggs, meat, and decorative jewelry. For more about threats to sea turtles, visit this link: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/threats.htm Sea turtles have been called “Ambassadors of [...]
Categories: Conservation, featured Tags: Cozumel diving, hawksbill turtles, Sea Turtles
The Great Lionfish Debate
For those divers who spend most of our bottom time in the Caribbean, Bahamas, and Southeast coast of the US, the word Lionfish might make you cringe a little. Seeing them underwater tears you apart – half of you wants to run over and stab it to death, while the other half whips out a camera to take a picture of those elegant fins. I’ve spent about a year and a half listening to people rave about this problem – from experts in the field to passionate divers – and I’m going to try to set the record straight about how the problem started, what’s being done to try to curb the invasion, and if we have any hope for the future. And I’m open to arguments – I’m no expert, just a good listener. I forget that some people have no idea what I’m talking about, so let me [...]
Categories: Conservation, Marine Biology Tags: Coral Reefs
Whales, Dodging Those Deadly Harpoons!
Whales, Dodging Those Deadly Harpoons! The title for this month’s conservation article was inspired by a line from a Jimmy Buffett tune, Treat Her Like A Lady, about respecting the ocean. Whales worldwide will head for the deep, like this diving Tonga humpback, as they attempt to evade Japanese, Icelandic, and Norwegian harpoons over the coming months. Whales, already endangered from years of ruthless hunting, are facing new threats to their very existence on our planet. Japan, Norway and Iceland currently lead efforts to subvert, and ultimately overturn, the International Whaling Commission’s commercial whaling ban. All species, including humpback, fin, and minke, are slated for attack by Japan, Iceland, Norway, and several other whaling countries. Strangely, even blue whale meat, identified by DNA analysis, appears in Japanese meat markets, despite Japanese denials that their “scientific” whaling program targets severely threatened blue whales. Attempting to overturn the IWC ban on commercial [...]
Categories: Conservation, Marine Biology Tags: International Whaling Commission, scientific whaling, whales, whaling
SCUBA: It’s not just a recreational sport…
I recently had the opportunity to meet an expert in underwater camouflage during part a month long educational seminar on Saba (see www.seaandlearn.org for more information). I had lunch with one of them and just chatted about his research on camouflage techniques. Somehow frogfish came up and I asked him if he knew why it took them so long to change their colors to camouflage themselves, versus groupers and octopus and so many other species of fish that can switch in a flash. He looked at me dumbfounded and said he never realized they could change color, to which I replied “We have one here on Saba that’s changing from yellow to green as we speak…!” He shook his head and started praising us – the recreational divers. We are the ones that see so much more than the scientists do. We gather more information, we see the changes, we [...]
Categories: Marine Biology Tags: Marine Biology, scuba diving, underwater camouflage
Where Have All The Sharks Gone?
“Fins to the left . . . Fins to the right, and you’re the only bait in town.” If we don’t change our behavior toward sharks, someday they might only exist in the lyrics of a popular Jimmy Buffett tune. When divers encounter sharks they usually have good stories to tell. Unfortunately, it’s a pretty rare occurrence these days. The need for shark conservation is critical, for reasons we’ll discuss here. A contributing factor to the severe decline in shark populations is that many people have a negative perception about sharks. Barbara Bridges, President & CEO of Stealth Pilot Productions, and a member of the LinkedIn Group Ocean Champions, explains why sharks suffer from a serious public relations problem: “In the past twenty years television specials have contributed much toward saving wilderness and wild species–including establishing the need for marine protected areas. The lamentable exception to these preservation efforts are [...]
Categories: Conservation Tags: Conservation, shark conservation, shark diving, sharks
Paul Mila : Scuba Jedi and Author
Paul J. Mila traded in his corporate suit for a wet suit, and now devotes his time to writing, scuba diving around the world, underwater photography, and speaking to groups about ocean conservation. He has enjoyed the opportunity to photograph and dive with Caribbean reef sharks in the Bahamas, humpback whales in the Dominican Republic and in the South Pacific Tonga Islands, diverse sea life in the Cayman Islands, Cozumel, Bonaire, Hawaii, Antigua, and in his home waters off Long Island, NY. Paul’s underwater pictures have been featured in magazines, on scuba diving web sites, and shown at the Mind, Body, Spirit Festival in Australia. Following the advice of writers who said to write about what you know and like, he has incorporated the ocean and diving as the core of his writing, which includes three novels: DANGEROUS WATERS, WHALES’ ANGELS, and FIREWORKS. Diving in the same waters as the [...]
Categories: Conservation Tags: Paul J. Milla, Paul Milla
